Seeing is Believing
by XMapleXLoverX
Summary: After a whirlwind of events that she honestly should've seen coming, Emma Hamilton, sorry, Emma Smith now, decides to stay at a boarding house popular with artisans such as herself. The question is: will she stay? Or will she return to her previous life without a single thought given to the people she has met? Human!AU, Writer!IvanXEmma, Composer!RoderichXMuse!Elizabeta


**Seeing is Believing**

**Chapter One**

In London's West End there stood a boarding house. The house was run by a man called Julius Vargas and his various grandchildren, who all lived there. The boarding house, officially called Casa Vargas, was incredibly popular with creative types due to its close proximity to bookstores, art galleries and a nice park. It became so popular with those types of people, it became known as Casa Artisan. In London's West End there stood a young woman in front of a boarding house.

The young woman in question, Emma Hamilton, had heard a great deal about the boarding house, both online and from a close companion who had lived there for a time. She often thought about staying there for a while. And when certain..._events_ arose, she decided to book a room online and fly over. But now, standing in front of the house in one of most well-known cities in the world, she began to feel anxious. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself. She then grabbed her bags and walked up the stone steps and rang the doorbell. Within minutes, the door was opened.

Julius Vargas was a jolly man and was never known to turn away a boarder without good reason. Despite his age, he was also known as a ladies man and thus often accepted young, good-looking, female boarders. And Emma was a young, good-looking, female, potential boarder. With lovely, short and wavy deep brown hair, olive toned skin and bewitching ice blue eyes, she didn't look like the conventional idea of 'beauty', and yet Julius immediately found her physically appealing. Her voluptuous build was easy on the eyes as well. So far, so good. Julius smiled widely. "Ciao! You must-a be a new boarder, si?"

"Yes sir." Emma replied, already feeling better.

"Please! Come in, come in!" He ushered Emma inside and glanced at her rear. Smiling, he extended his hand. "I'm Julius Vargas. And you are?"

"Emma, Emma Smith." Emma shook his hand. She had abandoned her original last name for something less conspicuous, more common. "It's very nice to meet you Mr Vargas."

Julius smiled widely. "Please, call me Julius! Now, which room would-a you like?"

Emma bit her bottom lip. "Can I have a look?"

Julius nodded. "Si, of course!" He lead Emma upstairs, insisting on helping her with her luggage. He lead her down the long stretch of hallway, pointing out the rooms. "Feli and Lovi share that one. Francis is in that one, and unless you like avid male attention I suggest you take a room further away. Antonio is there. Heracles is there. We have more boarders down there. The rest of the rooms are-a unoccupied!"

Emma noticed a staircase that lead to an upper floor. "What's up there?"

Julius rubbed his stubbled chin and smiled a little. "That leads to another room. Would you-a like to see it?"

"Yes please."

Julius lead the way upstairs. He opened a door, revealing a spacious attic with a large window, a balcony, a wardrobe, a small bed and a desk. Julius smiled at Emma. "It's-a very popular with artisans, would you like it? It's unoccupied."

Emma wandered through the attic, running her fingers along the walls. She stepped out onto the balcony and walked down at the people below. Although she had never been in the room before, she saw in it a room from times gone by. Memories flooded her head, memories that were both heartbreakingly beautiful and tragically melancholy. She nearly cried. Instead, she turned to face Julius and smiled. "I'll take it. How much?"

"Forty pounds a week." Julius said, pleased that this intriguing young lady had decided to stay. "Are you an artisan?"

Emma smiled. "Yes. I write. Novels, short stories, plays and the occasional sonnet and essay."

"Wonderful!" Julius put down Emma's luggage and smiled. "We have another writer here, a Russian called Ivan Braginsky. And my grandsons are friends with a writer called Arthur Kirkland. You should be fine!" Julius approached Emma and gave her a fatherly pat on her left shoulder. "Will that be all?"

Emma nodded. "Yes...yes, that will be all. Thank you very much...Julius."

Julius nodded and smiled. "Dinner will be ready in two hours. There's a bathroom through there." He pointed at a door off to the left. "I'll see you then." And he left.

Emma turned back to world outside and gazed at the buildings around her, feeling a wonderful sense of liberation. She felt as if she could fly high above the clouds and to paradise. But alas, she knew she would not fly, even if she could. And she knew, all too well, and there was no such thing as paradise.

**Author's Note:**

**-**In each chapter there will be a reference to a piece of literature, a historical event or a historical person. Sometimes more than one, occasionally all three. The first person who can spot the reference(s) you will receive a free one-shot from me. Can you spot the reference to a historical person and why he/she is important?


End file.
